‘Monitor children too’: German minister urges lower age limit for surveillance

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Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann has called for increased powers for intelligence agencies to fight terrorism, including placing minors and children linked to Islamists under surveillance nationwide.

In an interview published in a number of German newspapers belonging to the Funke media group, Herrmann said that the age of terrorists is getting younger and younger and so the BfV, Germany's domestic security service, must be allowed to place minors under surveillance.

“In Bavaria, we have abolished the age limit for surveillance,” he said. “Normally, the domestic intelligence agency in Bavaria would not place children under surveillance. But if there is concrete evidence that a 12-year-old is with an Islamist group, we have to be able to monitor them, too.”

“I would strongly urge for the age limit for surveillance [carried out by the BfV] to be lowered throughout Germany,” he added.